Bassem Youssef believes he lost Superman: Legacy role for supporting Palestine

Bassem Youssef, the comedian often called “the Jon Stewart of the Middle East,” believes he lost a role in James Gunn’s film Superman: Legacy because of his outspoken pro-Palestine stance. In an interview with Salon, Youssef says he had been cast in the film but the role was rescinded shortly after he spoke with Piers Morgan on the subject of the Israel-Hamas war. A clip from that interview went viral in October 2023.

“I was a little bit bitter about losing the role, and I was very sad. In the United States of America, you can talk about Joe Biden, you can talk about Joe Biden, you can talk about Donald Trump, but you cannot criticize a foreign government, which is very sad, you know?” Youssef told Salon. “And then because of that, I was cast in the new movie Superman, and then they told me ‘We changed the script’ after Piers Morgan. And I want to assume good faith. I want to believe that this is true.”

A source close to the production told The A.V. Club that Youssef never had a formal offer for Superman: Legacy. According to the source, the role Youssef was in consideration for was cut from the final draft of the script, which was submitted soon after the writer’s strike ended on September 27 (the deal was ratified by union membership on October 9) and before the Hamas attack on October 7. Though Youssef did send in an audition after the actors strike ended on November 9, the character had already been cut from the film, the source added. (Gunn responded to an IGN story about the character being cut with the comment, “This is accurate.”)

In his Salon interview, Youssef said that he wanted to say “Screw DC, screw Warner Bros.,” but that he understands many in Hollywood have “an emotional connection” to Israel. “I understand maybe the people who are in charge, that took the decision, looked at me and didn’t want to have me. And maybe I understand. If I’m an Arab Muslim, I was the head of Warner Bros., I wouldn’t like a pro-Zionist or pro-Israel to be in my movie if he attacked my people. I understand,” he said. “But… this is the thing we need to dissect. When I attack Israel and attack its policy, I’m not attacking Jewish people.”

The Israel-Hamas war has become a divisive topic in Hollywood. The most notable case is that of Melissa Barrera, who was reportedly fired from Scream 7 in November 2023 for sharing pro-Palestine content on her social media. Earlier this month, Variety reported that Barrera’s representatives at WME and Sugar23 were considering dropping her as a client because she posted a link encouraging followers to donate to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees. (This came shortly after the U.S. halted aid to the organization due to allegations that some staffers had ties to Hamas and participated in the October 7 terrorist attack.)

While artists have experienced professional backlash for speaking up in the current political climate, the level of that backlash may depend on their status in the industry. It’s also a murky issue to unpack when films and television shows are constantly evolving, and there can be many other reasons for a star to be dropped from a project. Sara Ramirez of And Just Like That… implied that their pro-Palestine stance might have been behind Che Diaz’s exit from the Sex And The City spin-off, but later reports suggested the character had simply run its course—and Cynthia Nixon, one of the show’s stars, has also been vocally pro-Palestine. Nixon is more integral to the show than Ramirez was, though, and having a little more power in the industry goes a long way. Mark Ruffalo has also spoken up for Palestinians, and he’s nominated for an Oscar this year.